How to be a good mentor…

Mentoring is the process of helping a colleague one on one to help them learn and develop. Mentoring can be an invaluable skill and quality and is one that can benefit both parties. Gaining experience from someone in the same organisation that has lived and breathed what you're going through is something that cannot be bought.

Whilst most people can be a mentor, how do you be a good mentor, a mentor that adds real value to someone? Knowing how to get the best from someone is quite often the surefire route to helping someone in the best possible way. Everybody learns differently and how you impart your knowledge can be the difference between a good and a great mentor.

In this article, we’ll look at a few ways that you can be a better mentor and how you can impart your valuable experience in the best possible way.

1). Establish what is being asked of you.

This is first and foremost the key point. You can provide as much assistance as you can, but if it’s not what the mentee has asked for or requires, it’s going to be wasted time and effort. To ensure you are giving the best possible advice and assistance, establish what the other party requires. Ask questions and tailor your mentoring to cover the areas that they require assistance with.

2). Establish how your mentoring will work.

A schedule of how frequently and how you will interact with the other party is another fundamental part of being a good mentor. Frequent contact is a good way of building a good rapport and can allow the mentee to build up some momentum with their learning. This need not be long meetings a few times a week, short but regular catch up’s can allow for effective debriefing and allow for valuable time to ask questions as they arise. More often than not questions will come in during the mentee’s day-to-day work life. Keeping meetings regular will allow for these questions to be addressed in a more timely manner.

3). Allow for trial and error.

Impetus should be placed on the mentee. Learning by doing is valuable. Whilst no one want’s to fail, failing can sometimes be the best way to learn. Whilst you can guide a mentee, allowing them the freedom to make their own decisions is also important. You can advise but letting someone establish their own way and learning from experience can be a great way of learning something you’ve imparted on them in theory.

At the end of the day, a good mentor is there for the mentee. Having an ‘open door’ policy where questions can be asked can allow for a stronger working atmosphere and ultimately help the mentee to be the best that they can be.

At Big Motoring World, Kent, we are always looking for highly talented individuals to join our team. With a range of quality used cars for sale at Blue Bell Hill and West Malling, we have a strong team throughout Kent who provide a strong backbone to our business.

If you are looking to join a fast paced and growing automotive retailing team, discover the current vacancies our on our dedicated Big Motoring World jobs website, here.